Grate-bar.



No. 807,768. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905. W. MGOLAVE.

GRATB BAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHBET l.

f-Jmucmloz P'ATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

W. MGGLAVE.

GRATB BAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26.1904

3 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

7 MOOLAVE BROOKS COMPANY VANIA.

A CORPORATION OF PENN SYL- GRATE-BAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed May 26, 1904. Serial No. 209,943.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MoGLAvn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grate-Bars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in grates and grate-bars therefor, and has particular reference to the fuel-engaging surface portions of said grate and bars.

The grates constructed in accordance with this invention are provided with bars which are capable of feeding fuel forward over the grate-surface, some of the bars of the grate being so made as to reciprocate, while other bars are held stationary. The invention is thus especially adapted to the style of stoking-grate mechanism illustrated in my prior patent, No. 689,827, issued December 24, 1901. In this type of grate the fuel-engaging portions of the bars project to one side of the bar, so that the free ends or noses of the bar-caps are exposed to the heat generated by the combustion of the fuel. It is the purpose of'the present invention to so construct the fuel-engaging caps of the gratebars that they will be protected from the excessive heat generated in the furnace and yet will be capable of feeding the fuel downwardly over the grate-surface, which is preferably inclined. The pivoted noses of the caps have for their object the causing of a movable engagement between the adjacent grate-bars and are further intended for making it possible to retain ashes at the part of the grate-caps which is in intimate contact with the fuel. In the reciprocating grate the noses and the adjacent ends of the barcaps either act as abutinents against the movement of fuel forwardly when the movable bars are withdrawn between the fixed bars of the grate or act as pushers so far as the moving bars themselves are concerned.

The invention consists in a grate having fuel-engaging portions provided with movable noses or fuel-engaging ends, the said noses or ends forming ash-retaining pockets at the ends of the caps.

The invention also consists in a cap for a grate-bar having a body portion secured to the bar proper and an articulating nose or pivoted end portion extending into engagement with the fuel upon'the surface of the grate.

The invention also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely through anumber of adjacent grate-bars and illustrating the manner of providing the fuel-engaging portions .thereof with movable noses. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, a part being broken away and a part. shown in section. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the articulating noses. Fig. 41.- is a vertical sectional view through a number of grate-bars similar to those shown in Fig. 1, but provided with removable caps instead of integral caps. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the caps for the grate-bar.

The invention contemplated in the present application is adapted for use in stokinggrates which handle various kinds of fuel and is especially designed for a grate having a comparatively slightly inclined upper surface and adapted particularly for the use of fine anthracite fuel.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated the preferred construction of grate-bars made up of body portions and fuel-engaging caps therefor.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, in which the caps are made integral with the body portions of the grate-bars, 1 in the drawings indicates such body portions, while the integral caps are indicated at 2. The body portions 1 are made of a suitable length to reach across a section of a grate and carry upon their upper edges the fuel-engaging caps 2,which, as seen in the drawings,project to one side of the body portion, so as to extend partially over the body portion beneath them. While all the bars may be movable,they are preferably arranged alternately movable and alternately fixed, so that the movable bars may reciprocate between the fixed bars for forcing the fuel down the grate-surface. The movable bars are supported at their ends by resting upon antifriction-rollers, as 3, while at an intermediate point upon each movable bar an arm or rod t is secured, so as to extend laterally to the front of the body portion. The rod 4 is made sufiiciently long to engage and rest upon a roller 5, suspended by a suitable hanger 6 from the lower edge of the next adjacent fixed bar. In this simple manner the movable bar is suspended between the fixed bars and is capable of reciprocation upon the antifrictionrollers 3 and 5. The fuel-engaging portions or caps 2 of the bars are made integral at the edges extending along the top of the body porof the heat generated by the combustion of fuel upon the grate-surfaces; Pivotally suspended beneath the caps 2 are noses or fuelengaging portions 9. These pivoted noses may be made of the same width as the caps of the grate, but are preferably made of a less width, there being two or more of such noses to each cap 2. The caps are, as seen in Fig. 2, separated at intervals by spaces made of a width equal to the space between the cap-fingers 7. The pivoted noses 9 are preferably formed with transverse body portions 10, having separated fingers or teeth 11 projecting toward the rear, while forwardly from the body portions 10 are extended arms 12,which constitute the means for holding the said noses with respect to the said caps. In order to secure an articulation between the noses and the caps, the arms 12 are preferably bifurcated at their ends and fitted upon depending lugs 13, projecting from the under surface of the caps 2. A pivot-pin 14 secures the bifurcated portion of the arm 12 to its respective lug 13. The rear ends of the pivoted noses preferably rest upon the upper surface of the grate-bar next below them and slide upon the same when the bar is reciprocated. If, upon the other hand, it is secured to the fixed bar, it rests upon the reciprocating bar beneath it, and the said bar slides beneath it. Any lateral movement of the noses with respect to the rear free end of the cap 2 is prevented by means of a depending lug 15, which extends into an elongated slot 16, formed in. the length of the arm 12. The body portion of each nose or pivoted end portion is arranged just beyond the end of its cap, so that the said nose may rise and fall in respect to the cap, the body portion thereof moving adjacent to the end surface of the said cap. These adjacent surfaces of the caps and noses are therefore preferably formed approximately upon arcs which are concen tric. The projection of the articulating noses beyond the free ends of the grate-caps tends to form transversely-arranged grooves or recesses for the collection of ashes and the protection of those portions of the caps which are exposed to the greatest heat. To make these transverse recesses or pockets more pronounced, the upper surfaces of the adjacent portions of said caps and noses are depressed or formed with concaved surfaces, as at 17 and 18. A ridge or some prominence is formed across the upper edges of the noses 9 to insure the retaining of ashes in the said pockets notwithstanding the reciprocating movement of some of the grate-bars and the constant feeding of the fuel downwardly over the grate. The ash-holding recesses are thus partially formed upon the ends of the caps and partially upon the upper surfaces of the articulating noses.

The caps of the bars may be made separable from the body portions, and the said caps may be made bolted or otherwise secured to the upper edges of the said bars. This structure is illustrated in Fig. 4, in which it will be seen that the bars 20 are formed with laterally-projecting cap-supporting fingers or arms 21. The fingers 21 project a sufficient distance from the bodyportions to support the free ends of the caps at points beneath the tied portions thereof, as shown in Fig. 4. Securing-bolts 22 are passed through the-solid edges of the said caps and engage lugs 23, projecting from the body portion of the bars. As shown in this view, the upper surface of the caps need not be made with concaved recesses; but the upper surfaces of the pivoted noses may be relied upon entirely for catching and holding sufficient ash at the exposed ends of the caps to protect them from the heat.

It will be apparent that the bars may be provided with as many caps arranged adja cent to each other as desired and that the said caps may be made of varying widths, as found most practical. They are not made sufii ciently wide, however, to run the risk of warping and cracking under the action of intense heat. It will be evident also that the articulating noses may be made of the same width as the caps or of a greater or less width without departing in the least. from the spirit of the invention. The construction of the pivoted noses of the caps may be made exactly the same whether the caps are removably secured to the body portions or are made integral therewith.

The caps or fuel-supporting surfaces of grate which are made in accordance with this invention will be thus capable of handling not only bituminous fuels, which are liable to the coking action when ignited upon a gratesurface, as well as large grades of anthracite fuel, but also capable of handling very fine grades of anthracite fuel, which are not subject to the coking action of the bituminous coal and which lie very closely upon the gratesurface and when ignited tend to heat the said grate-surface to a high temperature. In attempting to handle these kinds of fuels heretofore the cap portions of the grate have usually melted and warped or run together. The formation of the fuel-supporting surfaces of a grate in accordance with the .present invention entirely obviates the danger incurred by the heat generated upon the surface of the grate in igniting the small anthracite fuels thereon. It will be observed that the transverse bands or bodies of ashes retained at the fuel-engaging ends of the caps operate to insulate and protect the said caps from the intense heat of the fire.

Minor changes in the details of construction will of course be embraced within the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A grate mechanism comprising gratebars arranged in stepped series and rearwardly-extending noses each of said gratebars being provided with fuel-supporting caps and each of said noses pivotally attached to one of said caps and adapted to rest upon the adjacent lower cap and to engage material thereon.

2. A grate mechanism comprising fixed bars arranged on different levels and reciprocating bars adapted to move therebetween, the said bars having fuel-supporting caps and pivoted noses carried by the caps and having a movable engagement with the upper surface of the grate-bar below.

3. A grate-bar comprising a bar proper, a cap projecting therefrom and a pivoted fuelengaging nose carried by the said cap.

4. A grate-bar for a grate having lapped fuel-engaging portions, the said bar having a laterally-projecting cap, a-fixed fuel abutment or shoulder being formed upon the cap, and a movable member carried by the cap forming another abutment or fuel-engaging shoulder, an ash-retaining space being formed between said abutments or shoulders.

5. A grate-bar for stepped grates comprising a body portion, a cap adapted to extend between adjacent grate-bars, pivoted noses carried by the projecting cap and resting loosely upon the adjacent bar, the said noses extending upwardly in the rear of the edge of the bar to retain accumulating ashes for protecting the said grate-bar from heat.

6. A grate-bar for stepped grates, comprising a body portion having laterally-projecting caps secured thereon, and noses pivotally secured to said caps, the said noses projecting from beneath the caps.

7 A grate-bar for stepped grates comprising a bod y portion, a fuel-engaging cap projecting laterally from the upper portion of said bar and having a curved abutment-surface at its fuel-engaging end, a fuel-engaging abutment-nose pivotally secured to said cap, a recess being formed parallel with the bar between the abutment-surfaces of the cap and the nose for holding accumulating ashes.

8. A grate-bar comprising a body portion, having laterally projecting fingers, fuel-engaging caps removably secured upon said body portions and fingers and having downwardlyextending lugs upon their under surfaces, ashretaining noses pivotally secured to said lugs and having recesses in their under surfaces,and guiding means projecting from the edge of the cap and engaging the recesses .in the said noses for holding the same in proper alinement.

9. A grate-bar for stepped grates comprising a body portion, a series of removable caps secured to the upper edge of said body portion and projecting laterally therefrom, noses pivotally secured to the said caps and formed with curved recesses in their upper edges, the said recesses forming with the adjacent surfaces of the caps a continuous ash-retaining groove or trough extending parallel with the bar, shanks projecting forwardly from said noses beneath the caps and having bifurcated ends, lugs projecting from the caps and engaging the said bifurcated ends, pivot-pins for holding the shanks in place, the said shanks being also-formed with guiding-slots the caps having guide-lugs depending therefrom and engaging the said slots for holding the rear ends of the noses in proper alinement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MOOLAVE. Witnesses:

HENRY A. KNAPP, H. J. KEENAN. 

